The magic shop I use doesn't carry this nor have they seen it for 10 years.Any online sites whre I could get it.

Of course the magic shop carries it, it is a trick after all. Like everything else here. They just don't want to sell it to you. Anyway, you don't need to pay, I will let you in on a little secret.

Seriously, to start with you need to condition your feet. Soak them in beer, yes beer, normal, average beer! For an hour a day, don't drink the beer afterwards!

Do this daily for three months.

The next bit is VERY important.

DON'T WASH YOUR FEET AT ALL DURING THE CONDITIONING PROCESS.

Washing the feet gets rid of the new layers of protection you are building up, so don't. When you are finished with the conditioning you can start washing them again.

Let me know when you have completed this process and I will tell you the next bit.

It is very important not to walk on glass until all parts are complete. So don't until after I let you in on the next secret.

It might be easier to just attend classes with Todd or me. Then you can learn these things the way they should be learned, from a human being, who knows what they're talking about, and who can SEE what you're doing, and teach you how to handle the problems.

Whre do you live?

Magicguy. LISTEN to Harley, he is by far the best (along with Todd of course!), and he is offering you a chance to learn from him. That is probably the best opportunity you will ever get.

Just in case you missed the point, and I am guessing you did from the PM you sent to me. The Beer method is me messing about. It won't help you to walk on broken glass, it will cause a very interesting foot rot/fungal infection however.

Harley is in Pennsylvania and I am in New York. Since you are in Florida, get yourself over to Gibsonton. It's just south of Tampa. Ask around and you might find someone to teach you all that you want to learn. Ask around for Ward Hall and go on the road with his show for a season. You will learn all you need to know and much of what you want.

If I'm correct the fellow asking for instructions is waaaaay under age. Liability!
Steve V

That brings up some interesting thoughts. Hey Joey, exactly HOW old are you?

On his street magic info request he gives his age as 13.
Steve V

Thirteen is unlucky. When you're fourteen you can do what you like.

Yours,

Paul

that's funny.I don't want to walk on glass or fire breath I'm just inrtrrested in how they do this.

Joey, you keep saying "I don't want to DO such and such a stunt, I just want to know how its done". You need to understand that wanting to know how is another way of saying that you want to do. In addition, your extremely young age is going to get in the way of getting an appropriate response here. You're in school. Stay there, bone up on your spelling and grammar while you're at it. And try to become somebody unique and individual without resorting to parlor tricks to get friends. You can lead a very successful life in an any area... say accounting, try it out.

I'm a magician and that aint changing.I thought I would come to this part of the forum fo help and I havent been getting any.

Magicguy, let's look at the simple facts. What you want to know about is very dangerous, even deadly, unless learned the right way the first time directly from someone experienced in the art. You are underage. You may not like it but that is the fact and if one of these guys said on here how to breath fire and you go out and fry your nose off or you slice your feet up your parents are gonna go after the 'helpful' person. It is tough being a kid but everyone has to go through it to be an adult. When you are 18 and responsible for your own acts then you can stomp on glass and and gargle with fuel all you want. I don't know if you are aware of the stature of the people here (not me, I'm a nub) but if I was you rather than whining I'd be working on showing them that you are a good guy and then down the road you could find great help. It is your call.
Steve V

thanks stve I think everything you said is correct.

Beginning Sideshow Arts
I sometimes get mail asking about how to start learning sideshow arts. This is my answer,
First you need to analyze your self, and your reasons. If you want to learn to impress the guys at the bar, or your frat buddies, or to get girls, forget it! By and large, the acts are dirty, invoke some pain, take years to learn properly and you will find that “normal” people will look at you as something less than normal. The acts will probably cause you medical problems later in life, or immediately. It isn’t like magic at all, the damage you do to yourself can last for years. I often think that in our current media society, people think an accident (there will be some) goes away at the end of the clip, or movie… This is not true. An accident can take weeks or months to recover from, and can even cause you permanent disfigurement… The best (only) way to learn is with a pro teacher who has lived this life. I don’t mean the kid at 7/11 who sucks fire from a Bic. I mean a working professional. Learning from a book is the worst way to get this knowledge. I think I have read most of the books on the subject, and I am often appalled by errors, missed points, plain lies and oversights, all of which can bite you! Even when you know it all, a pro can see a lot of things you will miss, and might save you a lot of damage to yourself or others. Slim’s notes are overwritten to prevent as much of this as possible, but sometimes surprising interpretations slip in. I remember writing several additions to a note to clarify putting a Band-aid over a thumbtack...
Most of the people who chose to start learning sideshow acts are young, impressionable, frequently misfits, and are looking to make some kind of mark. “See what I can do!” This is understandable, but the fact is that there are a lot of better, easier, cleaner, and more profitable ways to make a living. Working at McDonald’s will earn you more, and you won’t spend most of your time looking for the next gig. Even the best performers have dry spells.
Although most of the acts however, dangerous, are simple, few initiates realize the need for learning to be an entertainer. This is really what separates the tyros from the pros in every field, not just sideshow work. Theater skills are what will make the money and work for you. If you are still in school take advantage of your theatrical options, acting, stagecraft, voice, costume, scripting, learn anything and anything you can. If you are a “civilian,” do the same. It’s an investment sure to pay off…
Don’t try to learn everything at once...There are dozens of nuances in any single act that can only be learned by exploration. Mastering one act and doing it well, (and adding your own persona) will always serve you better than “shotgunning” several badly done stunts. When you begin working a sideshow act, the first thing you will want to do is ‘push the envelope.” This, more than anything else will get you in trouble… Give your art a little time to nurture, until you really understand it… Above all, learn from a pro mentor.

An after thought :
Learn to stop calling what we do "Geek Magic." That is a term that real sideshow performers find very offensive. Geeks were the lowest form of sideshow performers, Low drunks and junkies who would eat the grossest things. Live snake heads. Live chicken heads, for example, just to get a fix... Jim Rose is not a good example of true sideshow work. Although he introduced a whole new generation to sideshow acts, his methods of presentation leave, for me, a lot to be desired. Sideshow work does not need to be presented in a gross, frenetic manner as he does. Why do I mention him? He is, I think the person most likely to have misused “Geek”, as in his claiming to do “:Geek Magic”

Magicguy67...I think you got the point by now. But your question was a valuable one as it allowed the GIANTS of the game to vent and 'splain a few things to all the other nubies and curious who are reading your thread. So thanks for asking. You shouldn't feel discouraged but actually energized as the path is in front of you.
There is some TOP NOTCH real world advise condensed above that should be read more than once...sanscan...you are a f&*%%*G Gem! great stuff my friend.

Just an addition to Slim's admonition against the term "geek magic"--while the general public may not know the original meaning of the word "geek", they do know the word "magic"; by saying you're doing any kind of magic, you're saying that what you (and the rest of us) do is fake.

For the same reasons, I call anything I'm perfroming a "stunt" instead of a "trick".

HI, I have been doing magic for 12 years now, ranging in cards to escape. And for the past 3 months I have started to learn Side Show Magic/Stunts. I have always been amazed by it, and would now start to perform it. One stunt that I always liked was this stunt of walking on broken glass. At one point I was told you use window glass, or flat glass, not wine or beer glass becasue of its curved body. But I have seen it performed both ways. Are there any hints, or help, that you could give me. And if it helps I have walked on the hot coal strips before. I have already started to learn fire and stength stunts, and I would like to finish it off with walking on real glass. Thank you for any imput.

Are you old enough to buy beer? Dave you cracked me up with that.